Thursday, June 17, 2010

Broccoli Worms

I suppose before I start this post I should look up what these worms in broccoli are...bad timing to start a post, here comes a little research - AHHA I'm not nuts! Ok. I will just start at the beginning like a normal person...

Ages ago back home in Mt. Vernon I was cutting up broccoli/washing it. As broccoli is very pretty it is fun to inspect closely, but even not inspecting closely I remember finding a little worm looking thing up near the green tree part, Just sort of huddled in what looked like a cocoon. Ever since this has totally freaked me out basically, I still love broccoli and I order it, eat it when people cook it, even eat it raw sometimes, but I never buy it.

Recently I wanted to make amazing-stir-fry-number 2, and I thought adding broccoli to the mix would be a fantastic idea, momentarily forgetting about previous worm scares. While I was cutting it up I remembered to check for them, thinking that since I'm far away from home I wouldn't have to look too close so wasn't too worried about it UNTIL I FOUND ONE. Once again, cocooned, just like at home. I threw it down the sink and mentally freaked out a little bit because all the rest I had been throwing in the stir fry I hadn't checked too much, so I just thought surely there was nothing else in there and sort of got over it. Later when I was having the last of my leftovers I just happened to see what looked like a curled up little worm...which I promptly threw away before looking at it too much. Upon telling Daniel about my broccoli worm troubles, I managed to half-heartedly convince myself that it was just some of the wild rice I had eaten with it, because some of those can maybe go a little crazy. However I have been dreading using the rest of my broccoli in the fridge...but since I paid for the food I have to use it eventually right?

So. Making a nice healthy soup, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and oh why not throw in the rest of that broccoli?? I spent at least a good thirty minutes going through the broccoli sooo carefully, finding one more worm in it, and taking the broccoli apart big time before I put it in the soup. I had maybe two bowls that night, delicious (took me forever to make I was positively starving by the time I was done, which was maybe 10 30 pm), Anyways, recently while working through my massive leftovers I have found two worms :(:(:( Once just sitting on a carrot and it was right when I was thinking 'I wonder how many bugs blind people accidentally eat', and then there is a worm. No tricking myself there. So I threw it away. THEN another one!!! AHH! and it was more wormish than the rest, I could see it's little black feet things. Ok these actually are more like caterpillars...anyways, I have tried to convince myself these last times just to eat it, just make myself eat it and realize that I can't taste it (I'm assuming so anyways), yet I just don't want to eat these worms so I throw them away. Here is the issue though - I have at least 6 more meals with my leftover soup still...but...it's just not as good anymore. :( I just keep thinking about worms and looking through it, I wish I could just throw it away or something but I can't do that food costs money! So...for the next week I will be sifting through soup for worms. Meanwhile here is what I have found on google to enlighten you-

"Broccoli worms are smooth and green, and they tend to hide in the branches of broccoli florets. If you don’t want green worms to cook along with your broccoli, dissolve a few tablespoons of salt in a pot of water, separate the broccoli into serving-sized florets, and soak the florets in the salt water for twenty minutes. Almost all the broccoli worms will die and float to the surface. If you’re not convinced, inspect the florets before you cook them."

So the question is - will I bother to get more broccoli even though I know I will be forced to inspect the florets after any salt soaking? Or will I just avoid the delicious healthy treat....I'm even a little grossed out to try the salt thing and then just see all these little worms floating in it. I wish I liked eating worms :(